Cycle routes

Cotswold Electric Bike Treasure Trails

Cycling in the Cotswolds has never been so much fun. Hire an electric bike for the day for any occasion for up to 18 people. There are a variety of stunning countryside routes to choose from including several Treasure Trails where you can follow clues and answer questions set out along the route. Picnics are available.

For more details about fun cycling in the Cotswolds. Hire starts from as little as £45 per day per person. Tandem electric bike hire is also available for £60 per day.

Off-Road Cycling Routes

We have devised a series of new off-road cycle rides exploring some of the best scenery and countryside of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They are available to download below.

You will need a bike that is sturdy enough to handle off road conditions, a road bike would be unlikely to survive. Please wear a helmet and you may want to consider sunglasses to protect your eyes from insects in the summer. Be aware of changing conditions. Off road riding is much easier in frozen or dry conditions than when there is wet mud, but not necessarily more fun! Riding a bicycle is permitted on public roads (not motorways!), byways, restricted byways and bridleways but not footpaths. Rights of access aside, off road cyclists are a relatively recent arrival in the countryside, please be considerate of other users. As the access rights are the same these rides also lend themselves to giving horse riders some great rides.

These rides have been developed by studying the Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps to identify potential routes which are then ridden to test and describe.

Cycle routes around Kemble Station, near Cirencester

The following downloadable routes describe a range of cycle rides which are easily accessible from Kemble rail station, near Cirencester, and take in many interesting features and places of interest in the Cotswolds:

The Infant Thames

An easy ride through quiet villages into the Cotswold Water park, passing country pubs, parks and close to the source of the magnificent River Thames.

Other routes in around the Cotswolds

Cotswold and Feldon Cycle Route - a 25 mile route that runs from Shipston-on-Stour to Brailes in South Warwickshire.

Bristol and Bath Railway path - a cycling route that links the cities of Bristol and Bath and runs through the AONB near Swineford.

Short stretches of the Avon Cycleway and the Kennet and Avon Canal Cycle Route pass through the southern part of the AONB.

The Colliers Way incorporating National Cycle Network routes 24 runs through the most southerly part of the AONB from the Dundas Aqueduct to Wellow. National Cycle Network route 4 runs from the Dundas Aqueduct to Bradford-on-Avon.

Maps and Guides

Cycling maps are available for South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset and can be downloaded free of charge from the Lifecycle Resource Centre. More route guides are available: